Fallen
by crazykittymomma
Summary: AU. Astrid wanted to surprise Hiccup after a meet was cancelled, but instead is searching to locate him when he did not show up for a lunch date with his father. Where is he?
1. Chapter 1

**I have been having some writer's block over the last few days...I get that creative typing itch but nothing pours out the way I want it to. I kept thinking of some ideas I want to write about but my mind isn't going where I would like it today.**

**I went back to a few stories I wrote previously just to see if there was anything I wanted to expand upon, anything that seems to catch my eye. Any verse that gives me inspiration and opens up thousands of words...I found it.**

**I just hope you like it.**

**...**

Astrid felt excitement overflow through her. The anticipation on Hiccup's face when he saw her standing, or maybe sitting, next to the car when he came out of the woods...Or, perhaps she'd surprise him by meeting him on his way back from his hike.

She wasn't sure, but she wanted to do something for him. Make his face light up. Give him a small surprise.

Even if it was just by seeing her.

She'd supposed to have been at a track meet. But, the other team forfeited at the last minutes. Instead of spending what would have felt eons sitting on the bleachers with the team, waiting for their events to begin and end, Astrid only lost a few hours on a bus ride to and from the other school's track.

Now, she was in her car, dressed in her track uniform heading towards the state park where Hiccup usually walked on the weekends.

"I wish I could go," he'd told her the evening before. But, his father wouldn't have let him take the car over an hour from town. Not with the break pads needing changed. They'd been squeaking for over a week. And, her parents couldn't take him. Both had prior obligations so they hadn't planned on going.

Worked out for the better, anyways.

She glanced at the digital readout on the stereo. One-thirty. She knew Hiccup typically was heading home around two. His routine wasn't difficult. He'd wake up early in the morning, take the car to the park, walk for hours, sit and sketch, eat a snack, sometimes even take a cat nap against a bench or a tree.

But he was usually home by two or so. If not, typically his father would get antsy.

According to Hiccup, Mr. Vast had become particularly more antsy since the fall. He was never someone to hover before. Hiccup lived more independently than most students their age. He grown up with a father who was a work-a-holic, and Hiccup had learned to take care of himself most of the time. The weekends were always what Hiccup looked most forward to. Saturdays in particular. Most of the time, especially since he had gotten his license, he'd take himself to the woods for his on solitude.

Since he and Astrid had started dating she'd tagged along here and there.

Coming around the corner, the parking lot became visible, and her heart skipped a beat. She could see Mr. Vast's green Impala parked just where Hiccup always parked her. Usually towards the back, right as soon as you would turn into the lot.

Astrid parked the car and turned off the ignition. The gentle hum of her father's white Scion xB went off, and silence echoed in her ears.

It was bliss.

No wonder why Hiccup enjoyed coming out to the park. Rolling the windows down on all four doors, she could hear the bugs and birds making their sounds. Living in the city this was a rare sound to hear. No cars going past to disturb the silence. No city noise to eat up nature's music. This was Hiccup's slice of heaven.

Leaning her seat back a bit, she pulled a knee up towards her chest, and she sat. Doing nothing. There was almost always some place she had to be at. The school, studying for a test, practice, home with her mother fixing dinner. She didn't feel a sense of urgency to move and go to the next thing. She felt...calm.

Hiccup's world was like a vacation. She enjoyed it. She'd never had experiences so simply but so enriching until they'd started talking, hanging out, and dating. He'd opened up her world to a brand new world that was surrounding her...it was just all mucked up from the chaos in her life.

Opening her eyes, she realized she'd dozed off. Staying up until two and up at seven had gotten to her. Finally feeling like she could relaxed, she had fallen asleep.

She looked at her phone. It was two-oh-seven.

Anytime now, Hiccup would be out of the woods.

Suddenly, she thought to check her email. She'd been waiting on a note from one of the colleges she'd wanted to visit to set up a college tour for the summer. She'd wanted to look at their physical therapy program. She'd been waiting all week to hear back from them. Why she thought of this now, she didn't know. It was Saturday, she'd checked her email last night to see if they'd responded. She most likely wouldn't get a response until next week.

She was right. No email back.

After glancing towards the woods again, hoping to see Hiccup coming from the trail, she sighed when an empty field stared right back at her. No Hiccup.

Anytime now...

She leaned her head back again, and looked at her cell phone screen again, checking the reception strength.

Four bars. It was hard to believe that once you were in the woods by about a five minute slow pace, there would be little reception. It was spotty most of the time. A text message might go through, but it was one in a million chances it would.

And this was one reason why Hiccup loved the woods. He had his playlist downloaded to his phone, so if he chose to ignore the silence, he'd turn on some music, shove his headphones into his hears and just zone out, walk or sit and sketch.

Two-eighteen. Anytime now, Hiccup.

Surprising him was testing her patience. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he'd see her...

Getting out of the car, she decided to head towards the entrance of the pathway. Or, also the exit. There was a nice bench to sit on at a fork in the pathway not too far in. Just the thought of surprising him as he came down the hill made her smile a little bit more.

Locking the car and tucking the lanyard into her sporty team jacket, she headed towards the woods.

Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Grrrr. Most likely her parent's calling her to see where she was at.

No...It was Hiccup's dad. They'd had each other's numbers, but they'd only talked once on the phone. Weeks ago-

"Hello?" she said, trying to sound bright and friendly.

"Astrid-"

"Hi, Mr. Vast-"

"Hi-um-I was wondering-did Hiccup drive to your meet?"

Astrid narrowed her eyes, and slowed down her pace.

"My meet?" she asked, still trying to sound friendly despite her confusion.

"Yeah," Mr. Vast said gently, hesitantly. "He said he was going to come home early today-"

Astrid felt her heart race suddenly.

"-around noon or so. Heather is in town-the four of us were supposed to go to lunch but-"

"You haven't heard from him?" Astrid said.

"Have you?" Mr. Vast asked. Hope echoed through the receiver.

"No-no. Not since about eight o'clock-And, I'm in town. I'm at the park-"

"Is the car still there?" he asked her.

"Yes-" she breathed.

"I have called him several times-he-he must still be in the woods." Astrid could tell he was trying to hide his panic from her. Typically, the man was very stoic. But, she could tell he was beginning to crack just a bit.

"I am at the trail," Astrid said, her feet picking up the pace on the asphalt at her feet. "I'll head in and see-"

"No! No, I am sure he's all right-probably just lost track of time-"

"I know his usual path," Astrid told him. "I'll head in and see if I can find him-"

"Astrid, no it's fine! I'll come down-I am sure he just lost track-"

"I'm here now," Astrid said, the fear obviously coming through the other end. "I'll go look-"

"I can call the rangers-"

"No, I'll go in," Astrid said, her feet now hitting God's earth under her tennis shoes. "If you don't hear from me in about twenty minutes, call the rangers-"

"Astrid, no! Your father-"

She hung up and shoved the phone into her pocket. She couldn't listen to him anymore. She was there, she needed to find Hiccup.

And, she knew what Mr. Vast was going to say:

"Your father will kill me if I send you out there-"

Ironically, the thought made her chuckle a little bit. Their father's had been acquaintances simply because they both had run ins with the law due to their work. Her father was a detective for the county, and Mr. Vast often represented the felons her father would arrest. All on good terms between the two of them, so it seemed. Even the greasy, sneaky citizens needed someone to help them when their day came for trial.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket but ignored it. Her feet guiding her forward quickly. In the back of her head, she knew she was going to have a difficult time on the trails. No matter how good of shape she was in, she still couldn't handle the hills very well. Not like Hiccup. He'd ran the hills prior to his accident, with a packed bag over his shoulders and back. How such a small kid could walk and hike so quickly, with a gimp, she had no idea.

She could already feel her breath catching as she went up and down the small peaks and valleys of the woods. Once, she nearly lost her footing and had to grab a sapling just to keep balanced.

"Hiccup!" she called suddenly. Her eyes scanned the edges of the trail, looking for any sign of him. Coming to the fork on the path, she immediately headed towards the right. Hiccup always took her to the right of the fork. He rarely went left, he'd told her.

"Hiccup!" she found herself calling again, only to hear her own voice echo between the hills. Her heart racing, her feet moving, she only hoped that she would find him soon.

Stupid boy. If she came just over the peak, she was certain she'd find him sitting on the bench sleeping or sketching. Most likely lost track of time, just as she would have imagined him doing.

No Hiccup.

No sign. Not even an empty plastic water bottle that he perhaps would have accidentally forgotten to pick up.

"Damnit!" she said loudly, leaning forward a bit. She needed to catch her breath. Glancing at her phone quickly, ignoring the notification stating she had three missed calls from Mr. Vast, she realized the time was two-thirty-nine. Time was going by so quickly.

Maybe in the off chance he did turn left at the fork...

No. Keep going Astrid.

"Hiccup!" she yelled again, hearing the echo. She craned her ears to listen for a faint call from him.

Nothing. Not a peep.

Hearing her in the valley and over the hills was probably going to be impossible for him.

She needed to climb higher.

She rushed up one hill, and down another, then up again as quickly as she could. Her legs felt like Jello, her chest heaved, but she felt if she was able to get to the next highest peek on the trail she'd call his name and he would yell for her.

"Hic-cup!" she screamed, her lungs working in overdrive to suck in air. Putting her arms over her head to open her chest cavity, she tried to listen around her, trying to block out her gasping body, he ringing ears. Any sign of Hiccup.

Nothing, again.

It was as though he'd vanished.

She shook the thought from her head, and headed forward.

The worst of the hills was yet to come. Already, had Hiccup come this path, it was why past the limit that his father and he were typically comfortable with him going to. If he didn't have new to him prosthetic, perhaps it wouldn't have made he or his father edgy. He'd brought Astrid along almost each time he wanted to go to this particular spot. It was indeed his favorite place to sit and do Hiccup-things. But, he worried he'd never make it back if he did. Perhaps a phantom pain would come and he couldn't get out of the woods, or perhaps he'd fall and not be able to get himself back to the parking lot.

"Dad probably wouldn't even notice I was gone if I didn't come home," he once told her on a very gloomy day, both outside and mentally for him.

His father had noticed. She hoped he wasn't sitting somewhere worried he wouldn't be missed...

Astrid stopped at the very bottom of the ever-so-Mount Saint Helen's hill of the hiking trails. This hill was so steep and so high, it had to be taken in a zig-zag just to get up it somewhat comfortably.

"I once ignored the trail and decided to hike it straight up," he once told her. "I couldn't run for almost a week."

Taking in a deep breath, she started walking.

"Hiccup!" she could herself calling again, hoping to hear him. She waited just for a second, but nothing came. Just birds. And the old, dried up leaves being rustled by a few squirrels playing.

Climbing the hill took her more than ten minutes, about five stops for air, and the longing for a sip of water. Just a sip. She hadn't had anything to drink before the meet. She knew Hiccup had water in his pack. He always carried water, crackers, sometimes even a thermos of coffee or some hot chocolate depending on the season...

Making it towards the top of the hill, she hoped to find him rested on top of a fallen tree. The truck of this tree was as tall as they were on it's side. It had rested up against some large rocks into the hillside, creating the perfect seat to sit in and overlook the valley below them. That was Hiccup's favorite spot.

Coming up onto it, scanning the area more, she didn't see any sign of Hiccup.

"He must have gone left at the fork-" Astrid said to herself.

Panic was now rushing through her in heavy waves, enough to bring her to her knees. Gasping for air, her mind going in twenty directions she thought.

Pulling out her cell phone to check the time, she realized it was three-twelve, just switching over to three-thirteen.

Had it really been that long?

She needed to get her jacket off. Sweat poured from her face, and she used it to wipe her face and neck. After wrapping the jacket around her waste, she pulled her braid up, using a spare pony-tail tie from her wrist to pull it off of her hot neck.

"Hiccup!" she called one last time.

She needed to rest. She knew the rangers would be out. Mr. Vast had threatened it when she was talking to him. How they would use their John Deere Gators on these trails she had no idea. Some spots were too narrow to get them through. She strained her ears to see if she could hear the sound of motors, most likely ATV motors. But nothing.

She went to turn back to head back down the hill, but she paused.

What if Hiccup decided to go on further? He said he rarely did. But, what if he had? Even though he had a gimp leg, knowing he was risking himself getting back, what if he'd gone further?

"Five minutes," she convinced herself. She turned back towards the trail, heading past the fallen tree and continued.

The pathway around the tree was tricky. It had narrowed slightly due to the large tree falling, and Astrid knew she'd have to be careful...

Wait...

Glancing down the slope, she realized the ground had been disturbed. Leaning over was not a good idea. The path was too narrow, if she'd lose her balance...

Astrid sat down on her stomach, and looked over the ledge.

Fifteen feet down, she could see Hiccup lying at the foot of the hill.

"Hiccup!"

...

**Little obvious what was about to happen but this was what I was coming up with at midnight. I may edit later on. But for right now, I kinda of like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, guys!

I wanted to let everyone know I have not forgotten about you all. When we moved I was not expecting to NOT have internet connection. I promise I will update this story soon, but I have not had time between our move, being a coach, and working 2 jobs. My life is chaotic!

I promise I have not hung this story up. I have actually been thinking about the next chapter since I completed the first. We just started moving right when I wrote it. Please bare with me while I sort out my chaotic schedule. Even if I have to figure a way to connect my laptop to my phone...it will get posted!

I had a real quick minute before I am leaving work to let you guys know I will update soon.

Thank you for all of your feedback! It keeps me going and pushing to be the best writer I can be!

Much love,

Sam


	3. Chapter 3

**I wouldn't leave you guys hanging like that! Of course I would give you guys a new chapter!**

**Someone did ask me if this was similar to "Morals." It could be. I've been developing my AU characters of Hiccup and Astrid simply because I have not had a different kind of imagination to not. I really need to start something different in another AU world (I may one of these days!).**

**I love getting your positive reviews! In all honesty writing makes me so happy! Keeps me sane!**

**So, without further ado, I give you the second chapter of "Fall."**

**...**

"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed loudly. She found herself inching closer to the edge, hoping that extra little bit of closeness might help him hear her. She found herself screaming louder and louder, saying his name over and over. "Hiccup! Hiccup! Hic-cup!" After a moment or two, although it seemed like eons, she was crying. With tears streaming down her face in both worry and frustration, she could not get him to respond to her.

"I can't even tell if you are breathing..." she said to herself, sniffling some tears back.

His pack was in the way. His head was turned towards the hill slope. His right arm lay somewhat stretched out in front of him. He looked frozen in time.

Dead.

Panic flowed through her again. She choked on her tears, and scooted herself sideways a bit more, trying to get closer to his ear to say his name.

"Wake up!" she pleaded. "Wake up!"

Why was he even remotely this close to the edge of the hillside? He was typically very careful. When they'd gotten even remotely close to the hill side prior, he'd pushed her towards the inside of the path, keeping her safe from stepping anywhere close to it. He feared with her not knowing the path she would fall.

But, Hiccup had fallen.

Again.

Oh, Gods!

What if he hurt his other leg? Or the same leg, or-

She had to force herself to calm down. Swallowing hard, wishing for that drink of water to help sooth her raging throat, perhaps chill her out from panic, she thought. Was there a way to get down to him, and safely? Looking at the area from all sides, there wasn't. How he'd manage to stay on the landing on the edge of the steep slope...She had no idea. He'd apparently had fallen just right. Even with a pack. It should have made him lose his balance, taking him when he fell over th side and further down the hillside.

Luckily, it hadn't.

Astrid strained to listen for rangers. She could barely hear anything over her heavy gasping. Again, forcing her breath to slow, she listened as closely as she could. Even her pulse was echoing through her ears. She growled in frustration and fear.

"Hiccup!" she yelled again, feeling her throat burn.

Nothing. Again, he didn't move.

She had to do something more than sit here and yell his name. Glancing all around her, noting the dry dirt under her hands where she sat, she thought about dropping handfuls over his back. Perhaps the gentle fall hitting him might wake him up. Then, her eyes drifted towards the fallen tree. At the very top, it still had pieces of thin, dried out branches clinging to it's mother. Jumping to her feet, abandoning her running jacket, she rushed over and started examining the branches.

This one is too thick. This one is too short. This one is broken...Finally, she thought she found one that she could pull and snap in half. After breaking apart some of the small dead twigs, she thought she had a good limb to work with. Dragging it over the edge, and trying her best to balance herself, she slowly lowered one end down towards him, hoping to poke him awake.

She shoved the end of the branch into his shoulder, what bit she could find exposed, and hoped to wake him.

"Hiccup," she said loudly. She didn't scream. Her voice was already done for. She could tell how hoarse she was already becoming from calling out his name for nearly an hour.

Poking his shoulder did nothing. He remained lifeless.

"C'mon!" she yelled again.

Seriously, he fell from the roof of his house nearly a year ago and lived through it. This was a shorter fall.

She felt bad for thinking this. Why was he so motionless?

Fear continued to grow in her. She narrowly let a sob escape her again, before she moved the end of the stick towards his backside. Finding a hip to gently poke, she let the end job him a few more times.

Nothing.

"C'mon, Hiccup," she said again. "Wake up, please!"

Suddenly, she heard something. It took all she had to strain her ears to hear it. The faint sounds of something crying. What was it?

"Hiccup?"

She leaned over the edge again, lying on her belly, holding the limb with both hands towards her face. She rested it against the side of the hill, and listened.

"Mmmmmmw."

The noise was so faint.

Suddenly, she heard it again, but barely.

It was coming from the edge of the hill it sounded like. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw Hiccup's chin move.

Suddenly, she saw a little tabby kitten crawl out from under his shoulder. It barely crawled out. Suddenly, it rested in the bend of his arm. The little thing couldn't have been more than four or five weeks old.

This was why Hiccup had gotten so close to the edge. He'd been trying to help the kitten. That was the only logical reason why he'd gotten that close to the edge.

Stupid boy. But, he had a good heart.

Suddenly, she heard a moan escape from Hiccup, and she saw his arm move slightly before he called out.

"Hiccup!" she said hopefully. "Hiccup!"

She watched his eyes blink a few times, heard him cough once or twice. He seemed...slow. It was like watching him move in the slow-motion setting on the camera of their phone.

The kitten meowed again, and she watched Hiccup slowly bring it towards him with his arm, attempting to cuddle it and keep it safe.

Or, was Hiccup trying to comfort himself? She'd seem him do this with his own old cat before. It was as though he were a child holding a stuffed animal looking for comfort.

"Hiccup," she said quietly, feeling it leave her lips in a breath. She realized her cheeks were soaked in tears. He was awake. He was alive. But she could tell he was not responding well.

His head went limb again as it rested against the ground.

"No! Hiccup, Hiccup! You have to get up! Hiccup!-"

His eyes opened against, but he did not move his head.

"A-Astrid?" She could barely hear her name come from his lips.

"Hiccup! I'm right here!" She moved the limb again, letting it run between his hip and the hillside as gently as she could. This suddenly seemed to have gotten his attention. His head leaned up more, and he became a little more alert.

"Astrid?"

"Hiccup, I'm up here," she said to him, hoping he would hear her without her yelling so loudly. "I'm here-"

She slowly watched him wiggle out of his pack. She heard him moan a bit, heard him call out in pain for some reason, but it was barely a wince. All the while the kitten sat curled up against the ledge, looking at it's savor with both fear and trust. It mewed gently once, and she caught Hiccup mumbling something to it, although she couldn't make it out.

The pack was off of his back, and she watched it rest against the hillside next to the kitten. Then, Hiccup was on his stomach again, resting.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, no, get up, please! Please get back up!"

"I'm right here, Astrid," she heard him say gently. It was almost a mumble, but she was able to hear it. "Go-get Dad."

"I'm not leaving you," she said to him. "I'm right here. Grab the stick-I'll pull you out."

"No," he said faintly.

"What hurts? Please tell me what hurts!"

"It's okay," Hiccup said gently. "It's okay..." She saw his eyes flutter close, and she could tell he'd fallen asleep again.

This wasn't good. He probably had a concussion. And, he shouldn't be sleeping. He should have been up and moving. No-maybe he had a neck injury.

She felt like crying again, buts he didn't. Pushing her fear back, she pulled the stick up from the hillside and sat it down on the pathway. She debated. Leave Hiccup and go for help, or stay and wait for help...For fear that he might need her...

Suddenly, she was on her feet, rushing back the way she came, hoping to find help sooner than later.

...

"Do you idiots not get it!?" Mr. Vast screamed. "I know what paths he takes! I know where he goes. Let me show you-"

"Sir! We can't let you in-"

Astrid could hear the voices just at the edge of the woods as she approached the entrance of the woods. She was exhausted, and clinging to every sapling, hillside, bench that she could find in her path that would support her weight from her noodle legs. Her chest heaved, she was half sobbing and half trying to catch her breath from the run. She was worried and furious at the same time.

Why weren't these rangers listening to Mr. Vast? It was as though they were trying to finish their coffee before they even attempted to go out into the woods. Astrid had ran, walked, paced, and crawled over six miles to find Hiccup and come back to get him help...

Just as she rounded the first hill at the entrance (or the last hill at the exit) she heard her father yell her name, heard a few gasps, and footsteps rushing towards her. She was blinded by a strong body grabbing her and holding her close, and then tears rushing to her face from anger and worry. She could tell her father was holding her close.

"Astrid-"

"Dad-" she found herself trying to say, but she couldn't. She was struggling to catch her breath. Her voice caught.

"Astrid," she heard Mr. Vast say to her. "Jason, is she all right?"

Feeling her father keeping her steady against him, she welcomed his strong arms supporting her Jello legs. She could barely feel her legs from the run.

"Astrid-"

Suddenly, multiple voices were surrounding her, asking her questions, she thought she felt a strong arm grab her shoulder to pull her away from her father...Then her father cursing at someone for touching her and trying to pull her away from him.

Then-"

"All we want to know is what path she was on so we know about where to go find the boy," a man said sternly. "Obviously where ever she came from isn't the way to go-"

Astrid saw through blurred eyes the map of the area that the man was holding, and she reached for it, nearly losing her balance as she did so. She father caught her before she collapsed onto the ground, attempting to roll the map out better so she could point to the trail.

"Here," she finally hears herself say hoarsely. "He's here-"

"You saw him?" she heard Katherine say. Astrid hadn't notice she was there. The woman bent down at her side to look at the map. Astrid could see the concern on her face.

She nodded. "He fell along-the-" her voice was breaking in and out. "Cliff."

"Astrid, he's at the fallen tree, isn't he?" Mr. Vast asked her.

She nodded. "I couldn't get him out-"

"You heard the lady!" a ranger yelled. "Move!"

Suddenly, feet were scattering. Astrid felt a luke-warm bottle of water shoved into her hand by somone, and she looked up to see Heather kneeling down beside her.

"Take a sip," she said. "Slowly."

"I'm going with the search party, Jason," Mr. Vast said loudly.

"Stoick, I-"

"Get Astrid home," he replied.

"No!" Astrid yelled, puling the bottle of water from her lips. "No-"

"Astrid-you're exhausted-" Katherine began.

"Hiccup-"

"Let us handle it from here," Mr. Vast said to her, placing his hand on her shoulder gently. "Thank you."

With that, the man was off running.

...

It was hours before the rangers returned. Astrid refused to leave the area and go home even after her father pleaded with her. Eventually, he agreed to leave her with Katherine so that he could go help at the scene with Hiccup.

A medic at the scene had looked Astrid over carefully while they'd waited. She thought Astrid was a bit dehydrated, but not major.

"Exhaustion," was all she really had said. And, it was true. Astrid was completely exhausted. She'd fallen asleep a few times lying in the back of Katherine's small Subaru. She'd wake up hearing Katherine and Heather chatting a little bit. A few times they shared a small laugh, trying to make light of the situation.

Unfortunately, as seven had approached Astrid was becoming very on edge. So badly, she'd gotten out of Katherine's car and had started heading towards the woods again, only to have been stopped by Katherine and the medic, pleading with her to let the rangers do their job.

"Stoick is with them," Katherine told her, wrapping her arms around Astrid in a gentle squeeze. "You know he won't let anything bad happen to Hiccup-"

The truth was, Astrid didn't know. Hiccup had already fallen on his watch from the rooftop. He'd already been on Stoick's backburner for years from time to time, forgotten during a large case. Hiccup had to grow up rather quickly if he'd wanted a hot meal for dinner or clean clothes to wear to school. Mr. Vast tried. She knew he did. She'd seen it first hand over the last few months.

The kid was clumsy. He was ever so smart and mature, but so clumsy he'd fall stepping through the thresway from one room to the next. She knew he'd give the rangers heck, there was no questions there. But, making sure Hiccup didn't get hurt worse than he already was would be the question.

Astrid had fallen back to sleep at one point. Rest had finally consumed her. Suddenly, she could hear doors to the car opening and closing, but she didn't make much mind to his as she drifted back into a light sleep. It wasn't until she heard Mr. Vast's voice outside the doorway did she bolt upward, scanning the dark area looking for Hiccup.

Pushing her way out of the back of the Subaru, Astrid stepped onto the asphalt ground, leaning heavily on the car as she walked towards the voices. A few parking spots away, she could see that people were gathered around Mr. Vasts car talking. She saw no sign of Hiccup anywhere.

Suddenly, her father's eyes locked onto her stiff body, and he was at her side quickly.

"Where's Hiccup?" she asked him.

...

**Thank goodness hooking the laptop to the connection on my phone is flawless! I did this when I lived in the middle of town with a different internet provider and it did not work near as well as this did!**

**I am exhausted, and hopefully some of that exhaustion leaking into the character version of Astrid in this chapter. I wanted to write this out for everyone real quick. Hoping I can get another chapter out to you all soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

Stupid boy. Stupid, stupid boy.

Astrid had been forced to wait on Mr. Vast to text her father regarding Hiccup's condition. The medics had rushed him out of the woods and into an ambulance once he'd been rescued off of the side of the cliff. Instead of relaxing at home as her parents had asked her, she was sitting outside on the covered porch holding the small kitten Hiccup had rescued.

Astrid knew Hiccup would be fine. Mr. Vast had told them to his understanding from one of the medics that nothing had been broken. Due to the sun and lack of water Hiccup hadn't had for multiple hours he was both dehydrated and weak. The dehydration had surprised her since he always packed multiple bottles of water during the hikes. He often over-packed.

"Can't be too ill-prepared," he once told her. Usually he'd bring about four bottles of water for just himself, a few snacks such as peanuts or crackers, and depending on the temperature, maybe a thermos full of hot chocolate or tea. Before the weather had broke, the few times Astird had gone with him he'd brought something warm for them to sip during downtime.

She caught sight of her father peeping out of the back door at her for the umpteeth time. The man was overprotective at times of her. Although, most of the time her mother was the one doing the hovering, this time around it was her father.

All she could do was wait. That was the hard part. Waiting, watching and hoping. Waiting for the news, watching the phone, watching Astrid, and hoping they would get the text soon. It was after eleven.

Mr. Vast had promised he would let them know how things were with Hiccup once he could.

"It's only been a few hours," her father told her just a little while ago. "Takes time at the hospital to get things wrapped up."

She pulled her legs up to rest across the bench, settling herself against one of the arms. The wooden corner poked her back uncomfortably. The kitten moved with her, remaining curled up in it's warm little ball against her chest. Surprisingly, the little one didn't have any fleas or filth on her. She was remarkably in great shape. Perhaps just wondered away from it's mother when Hiccup had stumbled upon her.

Astird hadn't named her. She hadn't even had the thought of getting attached to her at all. She wanted to continue to protect her just as Hiccup had until help had arrived fro him. The last thing Astrid wanted to do was leave the poor thing in the woods. Before Mr. Vast left, he'd handed the kitten to her, although Astrid noticed him eyeing her father with permission to do so.

"If I didn't pick her up and bring her back, the medics would have left her. It isn't sanitary for her to be in the ambulance."

The kitten had been the only reason Mr. Vast had not ridden with Hiccup in the ambulance.

She had been surprised her parents didn't say the cat couldn't come home...or stay for that matter. She'd only thought about it once since she had been home and allowed her mind to wonder. The kitten purred each time she stroked the top of her head with the tip of her finger. Once she stopped for a moment, the purring would slowly fade. Then, once she did it again, it would pick up.

She leaned into the back of the bench to allow her head to tip sideways and rest. Grasping her phone tightly, she willed it to ding or vibrate with a message from Hiccup. She closed her eyes. Most likely he didn't have his phone on him. It may have been lost on the cliff, along the path, or perhaps it had died while it was searching for service. She only hoped she'd hear from him first.

Fighting sleep, she finally gave in a bit, allowing her exhaustion to take over. Her muscles were stiff from the run. Her body hadn't properly warmed up prior to her run. A shower hadn't helped loosen her up a lot.

"Time and rest," her mother told her. She'd struggled coming down the steps.

Her father had handed the kitten back to her. "I am sure you will feel better tomorrow."

She wasn't going to feel better until she knew how Hiccup was. She was going to rest very little, despite her mind feeling mentally exhausted. Insomnia would consume her. Thoughts would go incomplete. Her brain would turn to mush. Sleep deprived.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, snapping her back into reality. She had fallen asleep for a bit. The kitten rolled down her front and onto her lap. Astrid turned to glance at her father. He was on his cell phone.

"...Are you sure?"

Her pulse quickened. She tried to contain the anxiety flooding through her.

"...Okay, okay. I am sure they would like that. We won't stay long. Thank you..." He hung up the phone. Astrid could see the exhaustion on his own face. "Get your shoes on. Hiccup is on his way home."

...

Astrid felt as though she'd held her breath for an hour. Her chest felt like it was caving in.

All her senses were numb outside of the fact that her feet were carrying her towards Hiccup's bedroom. She barely heard Mr. Vast acknowledge her as he let her inside the house. She rushed down the hallway past him, clutching the sleeping kitten in her hands. She could hear one of the clocks chime midnight in the home.

Taking a deep breath, she rounded the corner, and slowly approached Hiccup's doorway to his bedroom.

The room was dark other than the small, bedside lamp being on. Astrid knew when he couldn't sleep he'd turn it on and lay awake reading books on his tablet or from the library. If they had an English assignment, he would often read ahead just for something to do. Seeing him sitting just over the edge of his bed was not something she had imagined. He looked exhausted, yet a tired smile spread across his face once their eyes locked on each other.

"Hi, there!" he said, trying to sound positive and chipper. Usually he was skilled at hiding his emotions, but tonight was not the case. Even though he had tried, he'd failed. His voice cracked horribly, and he sounded completely exhausted. His tired eyes strained to the kitten in her hands. "I wondered what happened to her."

Astrid crossed the room and handed the little girl over to him, and he scooped her up into his chest. She saw the band-aid over the top of his left hand. He'd had an IV shoved into it, probably to hydrate his body. That was probably what had taken so long at the hospital that evening.

It was when he tilted his head back up that she saw it. The small scrapes lining his cheeks and temple. The split upper-lip, and then two butterfly bandages peaking out through the bangs of his thick auburn hair.

He had caught her studying him.

"I'll survive," he said after a sigh. Suddenly, she heard him wince, his arm reaching for his leg. His bad leg.

"Hiccup-"

"I'm fine, I'm-fine!" Suddenly, he was doubled over, the kitten appeared squeezed between his legs and torso, but seemed unharmed. Astrid bend down, touched his leg without hesitation, and realized his prosthetic was still on. As quickly and as gently as she could, she rolled up his pant leg, pulled the pin holding the suction in place from the prosthetic, releasing the additional pressure from his leg.

This seemed to help ease the pain instantly. His body became less tense, and his wincing was replaced with a few deep breaths.

"Thank you."

Astrid wasn't sure what do to now. Even though the pressure was released, the leg still needed to be removed. She'd had to help him in the past, and often times she could sense a look of shame or helplessness cross his face. She didn't want to take his independence away.

"I've had this thing on since six-thirty yesterday morning," he said quietly. "Too...too long." He motioned to start to pull it off, but it was clear he was going to have difficulty.

Without hesitating again, Astrid reached for the top part of the prosthetic, and pulled it out of place, allowing it to slip through the leg of his jeans. The was a satisfying noise leaving Hiccup's lips as the object was no longer a part of him. She gently leaned it against the side of his nightstand, honestly unsure where to place it. He watched her. He didn't ask her to move it.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

She took a seat next to him on the bed and watched him stroke the kittens soft, pink ears.

"Dad stopped at the grocery store and ran in for some milk replacement and a few cans of cat food," Astrid said. "She was hungry. She was eating on her own-"

He chuckled a bit. "Little thing tried sucking on my fingers off and on. Woke me up a few times biting down on my pinky a little too hard." She watched him examine his right hand a second, pulling off the band-aide. He rolled it up in a ball between his fingers, then tossed it towards the can and missed. He sighed with frustration. Then, he turned to her.

"Thank you for taking her. I-I honestly didn't know what came of her when I was at the hospital. I barely remember Dad taking her from my grasp."

"She's all right. How did you find her?" Then she asked, "How did you end up on the side of the hill?"

Hiccup's face fell slightly when she asked. He looked as though he didn't want to discuss it, and Astrid hurried to think of a different subject to talk about. Sitting in silence hoping the tension would pass was not an option. Suddenly, she thought, "I could ask him about his morning-" but-

"I heard her squawking when I was almost all the way up the pathway," he said. "I looked and looked for her, then suddenly my ears strained and I realized she was just below my feet. She was clinging onto one of those old trees that had fallen most of the way down the side of the slope, but had gotten caught. She was within arms reach. I-I think I leaned too far, snapped it, and we both fell-"

He winced again, leaning forward to grip his bum leg. Astrid had somewhat gotten used to the random pains that flooded down to his stump on the occasion. But, she also knew that Hiccup liked to hide his pain. When these times happened, she often had to force herself to keep her distance until she felt the time was necessary.

"I-I knew I hit my head," Hiccup said. "When I woke up the first time, she was chewing on my hand. I think she smelled the ham sandwich I'd eaten halfway up the path."

"You don't have a concussion, do you?" Astrid asked.

"No, surprisingly. Just scraped up pretty bad."

Silence sat between them for a few minutes.

"I was more or less diagnosed with dehydration at the hospital," Hiccup responded. "After they cleaned my cuts and pumped a bag of saline into me, they sent me home."

"The ambulance took you," Astrid said. "I thought something more was wrong."

"Oh, I think they did, too," he responded. "Put me in a neck brace, loaded me onto the stretcher...Made me think of you the day they loaded you-" he paused suddenly, and Astrid could tell he felt guilty mentioning the car accident.

It was true. She had been terrified being loaded up onto the ambulance after the accident. She'd been hit by Snotlout going fifty miles an hour in a twenty-five head on. She remembered the whip lash, being strapped down to the stretcher with a brace forced around her neck.

Helpless and hopelessness washed over her suddenly.

Stupid boy. He was making her more sensitive.

But, she loved him. And, genuinely cared about him.

She felt his warm hand touch her hand that laid in her lap.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. "I didn't mean-"

Shaking her head, she stopped him from continuing. "It's all right. You were just expressing your feelings."

It was something they both were able to do with each other that they couldn't do with anyone else. Even their parents half the time.

Suddenly, Hiccup winced again, only this time the pain going through his leg was much worse than Astrid had expected. He was forcing himself not to grab his leg, trying to keep the panic from flooding through her...she knew that. But, it was too late. It already had.

"You need to rest," she told him once the pain eased. He was breathing heavily, and she could see the sweat beading up on his forehead.

She knew where he kept his the prescription at. It wasn't hard to find. Standing up, she went to his bedside table, pulled open the drawer, and reached in for the bottle of medication. She could tell it was nearly empty. He'd only been prescribed ten of the pills since that past summer. Opening the container, she shook out one. Only two others remained.

After handing the pill to him, he glanced at her for a moment.

"What?" she asked him.

"I need something to drink-"

She caught the smirk on his tired face, and she returned it before watching him swallow the pill whole. The kid had gotten so used to taking medication he rarely needed something to swallow it down with.

"Do you want me to stay with you for a bit, or would you like me to go?" she asked him.

"Um-well, if you wouldn't mind. I kinda want to get situated before that pill kicks in." She saw a grimace cross his face, indicating he was having another wave.

"Okay," she said quietly. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Can I text you tomorrow?"

He reached up and pulled her closer to him, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Please." His voice was almost a whisper.

Taking the kitten from him, Astrid headed towards the doorway. She only glanced back for a moment, locking eyes on him again, sharing a small smile between the two of them, and headed back out to allow him to rest.

...

**I think I will do one more chapter of this story. **


	5. Chapter 5

**For starters...I am sick again. The last time I was sick back to back like I am was when I was running myself to death. Right now I am technically working 3 jobs. Between my desk job (which I dislike) my part-time swimming lessons and then coaching team. Too bad I need the money or else I may have already quit my desk job...the fun jobs are always the most underpaid but ohhhhh so rewarding!**

**Anyways, due to my cold, I have been going to bed earlier...And tonight I have insomnia after sleeping for four hours. So...I have been working on this chapter.**

**Also, this may or may NOT be the last chapter to this series. I am horrible at writing one- and two-shots as much as I would LOVE to. I love ideas and completing them getting that instant gratification. But, I usually go into sooo much detail it ends up being even longer.**

**I love to write. I have since I was eight or nine years old. I remember the first story that introduced me to writing. I wish I had kept all those stories from my childhood. **

**Anyways...Here you go!**

**...**

Astrid did not sleep well at all. Between the kitten waking her up in the middle of the night to play, Astrid running her back and forth to the litter box in hopes she would use it, and simply just not being able to get comfortable enough to sleep - and of course her overactive mind racing - she just didn't rest well at all.

She had text Hiccup earlier when she was more awake telling him "good morning" as they often did. She hadn't received a response back. For more than an hour she she laid in bed. Until well past ten, up until she heard her father going through the kitchen looking for pots and pans to make their brunch. This was when she decided she had better get up and get moving.

Getting out of bed had proven to be a chore. Her legs ached, but she reminded herself she'd been through worse in the years she'd done sports. A little pain today was not going to stop her.

Eating with her parents had been a quiet one. Her mother was very unusually quiet. The prior night she had kept her distance with Astrid and her father, barely asking how Hiccup was. She was driving Astrid insane internally. The woman just wouldn't come to accept Hiccup. Her father and she figured it was because she feared Astrid would lose her independence by "seeing a boy" or "dating a boy" or even "liking a boy." Up until Hiccup and she had crossed paths they way they had just months back, Astrid hadn't ever mentioned "a boy" to her parents outside of going to homecoming with a classmate.

And that was all they had been to her. A classmate. That was all Hiccup was to her prior to the car accident that slammed the two into each other - almost quite literally.

After her mother had announced that she was going to go see her mother in the nursing home, then asked Astrid if she wanted to go.

"A and I are going to weed the yard for you," her father said almost immediately. Annoyance flowed through Astrid then. Her family was deciding her daily plans. What if she had homework to catch up on? They had never asked her if she had any homework she needed to do.

Her only plans were to go see Hiccup. She still had not heard from him just yet. Although, she had purposely left her cell phone in her room. If her mother had caught her looking at it in hopes to hear from Hiccup she would have had something negative to say. Astrid was trying to avoid the negativity.

After two eggs and half of a piece of toast, she claimed she was full, knowing full well her parents would suspect something. It was true, she was full. Too many emotions waving around inside of her, too many thoughts to even think about shoving a fork into her mouth.

She had gotten the kitten settled back down in the spare bathroom with a couple of old, wadded up towels for a bed to snuggle inside. After placing the proper food down for her, she closed the door, and went to change into some old clothes for gardening.

Oh, how she disliked gardening. She'd must rather wash and wax both of her parents' cars than garden.

Just as she had descended down the stairs to help her father in the garden, her mother was heading out of the front door.

"Have your father pull the ragweed," was all she had said. She knew Astrid was allergic.

Leaving her parents to talk outside for a minute, Astrid sat down on the bench in the foyer, sneaking her cell phone out to check and see if Hiccup had responded to her text message.

He had not.

A few moments later, her father came through the front door, holding a mug of hot coffee in his hand. She could hear her mother's car pulling out of the driveway and going past the house.

"She's gone," he said to Astrid, breaking the silence.

"Where do you want to-"

Suddenly, her father pulled his car keys from his pocket and held them out to her.

"She will be back in a few hours," he said. "Go check on him."

Shocked, Astrid reached gingerly for the keys. "Dad, I-"

"You owe me" he replied with a small grin.

"Dad-I should be-"

"You didn't want to go to the nursing home, did you?" he asked her.

"No-not today, but-if Mom-"

"Let me worry about your mother."

Astrid stood up, clutching the keys in her hand, guilt washing over her. Glancing back at her father, he gave her a nod. "You are going to have to weed quick."

"Wouldn't be the first time," he replied to her with a wink. "Now, go."

Astrid started out the door, but she stopped. "Oh, the kitt-"

"She will be fine - I will check on her. Seriously, A, just go." He took another sip of his coffee. "Just be back in a few hours. I'll text you if she shows up, okay?"

"Thanks, Dad."

"Fishing," he suddenly said to her as she was almost down the front steps. "You and I will go fishing, that is what you owe me - and Hiccup can come, too."

"I'm pretty sure he's never fished a day in his life," Astrid replied to him.

"Well, it'll be a first for him," Mr. Hofferson said.

Astrid gave him a smile. "Okay."

...

She decided to park a few blocks from Hiccup's house due to the probability of her mother driving past the house. She would be more than likely to look for the car within a few houses from Hiccup's home if she chose to go looking to see if that was where Astrid was at verses weeding around the house. On the rare occasion her father would cover for her with things. Innocent things such as this. Very much like a year or so ago when her friend was having dinner for her birthday and her mother suddenly decided to not let her go.

"You have homework to work on."

Her mother had gone to take care of her mother, before she had been admitted into a nursing home for her dementia. Her father told her to go and have a good time, and he would deal with her mother's wrath when she returned.

"You are only young once," was all he had said to her. That stuck in Astrid's mind for some time afterwards.

Just as Astrid parked the car, she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket.

11:37 AM - MORNING, MILADY - SORRY I SLEPT IN LATE.

Her lips turned into a small smile. Milady. He always liked to call her that.

The kid was a charmer. And, he always treated her with respect. Never once did he disrespect her or downgrade her. And, he was pretty intelligent, too. She loved sitting and watching him sketch in the woods or on the swing at the house. Surprisingly, despite how quiet and shy he was in school, he never turned her away from watching him sketch. His only request was to let him listen to his music in his earbuds while he did.

"I'm not shutting you out," he had told her the first time he asked if she minded. "It's just - habit."

Astrid decided not to respond to his text. She wasn't far. And, besides...she hadn't gotten to surprise him yesterday. Today, she could.

Walking towards the house she could feel the heat of the sun on her body. The warmth felt nice, she couldn't deny it. Glancing down at her white legs, she hoped over the summer she could get some of that natural tan from running or swimming. Rarely did she lay out with her friends at the city pool. She was too busy and constantly on the move between her summer volleyball team and keeping up with her conditioning for swimming.

Hiccup could be seen sitting on the porch swing as she approached. After falling from the roof last summer, it had become his favorite spot to sit and sketch when he wasn't in the woods. He belonged in the country. He loved to hike and sketch the wilderness. City life really was not for him.

Astrid wondered a few times if he hadn't fallen from the rooftop if he would have fallen in the woods. He was clumsy even with two feet. She remembered him falling on recess as a kid - and unfortunately had seen first hand the start of being bullied in grade school. He'd always been Snotlout's favorite to pick on in elementary school, often returning back to school the next day with his head even lower than it had been the previous. Especially when he saw Snotlout.

Of course, that changed a bit the older they became. At least, Astrid had thought it had. She didn't remember much of Hiccup after the fifth grade. Yes, she remembered being in some classes with him, always the quiet, thin kid with his nose in a book or a sketchpad in hand. He could be seen helping the art club hang their work up in the building hallways for display, or tripping in gym class. Somehow, he'd managed to pick up running over the years without tripping and falling over his feet.

Sadly, his running days were behind him...for now anyways.

She watched Hiccup with his body turned cockeyed, his bad leg stretched out over the length of the swing with his tablet in his hand. She knew he was reading. The swing swung back and forth a bit as he used his remaining foot to sway. She debated on going back to the car and leaving him at peace. He seemed content in his own world. She knew they both needed their own space. And, perhaps he really was not in the mood for a visitor after the fall yesterday.

Just as she started to take a step backwards, she saw him reach for his phone. After a moment, she watched him tap the screen, typing something. Then, he placed the phone back down into his lap, and picked up the tablet to read again, settling his head against his hand.

Hiccup had told her many times he only had a cell phone for his father to be able to reach him and vise versa, and of course his music. Apparently, he only kept it with him at the school for emergencies...and when he was going to all these different doctors and specialist their offices would often call him instead of his father to confirm appointments. At the house, he said he would set it down on the table and walk away from it, leaving it on ring in case his father called or text him.

Unless of course he was listening to music - but that typically only happened in the woods or while he was reading and wanted some background noise.

Hiccup had his whole life mapped out, it seemed. Knew what he wanted and when he wanted it. Of course, being limited to the world does that to you.

Suddenly, she felt her pocket vibrate. Reaching for her phone, she pulled it out and received a text from him.

11:45 AM - I'M SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE ASKED SOONER - HOW'S YOUR DAY?

She rolled her eyes to herself. The kid was too considerate sometimes. But, that was one thing she liked about him. Like herself, he was an only child, and they were very unlike the stereotyped "selfish only child." They were both raised with morals and manners. And, more than half of their junior class barely had any, it seemed.

Her feet guided her towards the house, and she watched him as she came closer. He was listening to music on his phone, she knew simply because his earbuds were in. She watched his eyes glance towards her feet, and he glanced at her once, then he did a double take. A smiled spread over his face as he quickly forced the ear buds from his ears, and pushing the tablet to the side.

"Well, hi!" he said enthusiastically.

"Hi," she said gently.

She watched him gingerly move his body, turning it so that she could have a seat beside him on the wooden swing. She watched for a grimace in pain as he often hid it when he was in pain. If he was, he was stone-cold about revealing it to her today.

As she sat down beside him it was then that she noticed the crutches leaning against the side of the concrete wall. He was curling his bad leg up towards him, placing his hand over the spot to hide the stump a little from her. He did this even still with her. Probably out of habit, she always guessed. She never wanted to point it out to him. She knew he was self-conscious about it. Only she hoped one of these days he'd let his guard down with her on that.

"I wasn't expecting you," he said gently as they settled down on the bench together. He placed his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to lean into him. She felt him kiss her cheek gently, which made her smile. Hard to believe just three months ago this was so awkward for both of them to be doing in general let alone each other.

"I wanted to surprise you," she replied to him. She turned her body towards him a bit so she could have a good look at him. He knew she was too, because his eye contact broke. This seemed to make him slightly uncomfortable but he didn't complain. In fact, he gave a small chuckle trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Go, on. Have a look," he said.

She noted the bruising forming along his brow and temple, and just as she noticed it, he reached up and pushed his thick hair back to better reveal the butterfly bandages holding the small gashes together from the fall. In a few days time, the adhesive would be wearing off and they would come off on their own, most likely following a shower.

"I did this, too," he said to her, lifting up the sleeve of his t-shirt, revealing some deep bruising forming along his arm. "When I fell against the rocks."

"I was more concerned about your head, as I think your dad was," Astrid responded.

"Yeah," he sighed awkwardly. "I have a slight headache but I will survive...been through worse-"

His face fell a bit when he said this.

"You all right?" Astrid asked him.

He nodded, but broke eye contact. "Yeah, just...well, not myself today, I guess."

Astrid felt her eyes narrow in thought. "In what regard?"

"Mentally," he breathed. "Just-kinda kicking myself a bit. Wishing I could take it back-"

"Take what back?" Astrid asked him.

"June," he breathed, emotion escaping in the single word.

She could see it in his eyes. Suddenly, he was breaking down and internally struggling to keep the pieces in check. She'd seen it just once before literally just a few weeks after the car accident that brought them together...right after he found out her mother had rejected him as a good person for her daughter to be around.

Astrid struggled to find the words to follow.

"Hiccup-you can't take that day back," she breathed.

"I know," he responded. His voice sounded less broken. "Some days I wish I could, though. Especially after yesterday. A year ago, had I found that kitten, I could have climbed down the side of that hill with ease and gotten back up with no issue-"

"Please tell me you never did that," Astrid said to him.

Suddenly, a laugh escaped him and he nodded. It was a relief to see a smile come through despite the lingering layer of moister that lay in his eyes. "Let's just say that wasn't my first time-what, I take risks here and there-"

Astrid sighed and let him continue, if he wanted to.

Hiccup shrugged nervously. "I'm tired, Astrid. Just tired of the constant doctors appointments, the physical therapy, the mental therapy, relying on those damn crutches-" He gestured to them, and she could tell if they were in reach he'd probably kick them with his good foot. "The nightmares-"

"Nightmares?" Astrid asked him.

And, just like that, a wave washed over Hiccup. It was clear he'd told on himself. Just a few months back, she thought the nightmares had stopped again after they'd gotten past her mother coming in between them.

"They come and go," Hiccup said quietly. "Dad doesn't know - I don't think anyways."

"What about your counselor?"

Wrong question to ask. It was clear that Hiccup was tired of questions, tired of being asked and tired of answering them. He turned away from her, and as he did, she could tell he was disappointed in himself for trying to shut her out.

"It isn't your fault," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Astrid slipped her arm into his, and leaned her head on his shoulder. For a moment, they sat just like that, but they took turns stroking the other's hand. She felt his tension ease, and he leaned his head into her again.

Then-

"Hiccup, I am sorry this happened to you," she breathed. "But, you aren't going through this alone. I don't want to pester you, or ask you questions. I care about you, so I ask-"

"I know-" he began.

"-But if you don't want me to, I won't."

"Astrid, I'm not upset with you, so I hope you aren't taking it that way-"

She wasn't.

"I'm just-verbally trying to let what has built up inside me the last day go," he said. "I had some time to think on that hillside."

She sighed and swallowed, allowing the silence to consume them.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Astrid asked him suddenly.

His head rested against the top of her's again. "You are just by being here."

...


End file.
